1
Protective Marking / Not Protectively MarkedSuitable for Publication Scheme? Y/N / Yes
Title and version / Public Access Changes - Brent
Purpose / To brief key partners
Relevant to / Partners and key stakeholders
Summary / Public Access Changes - Brent
Author / ACI Peter Weaver 188172
Owner / As above
Creating Branch, Code and OCU / Brent (QK) BOCU MPS
Date created / 13th December 2017
Review date / N/A
Distribution / Key Partners
Republished date / N/A
Further review date / N/A
This is a Partner Release to provide information with regards to the changes in Public Access on Brent Borough from 14th December 2017. The first two pages address the changes on Brent, the remainder general points. Contact details for myself are at the end of the release.
Overview
Front counters: the 24hr/7day front counter will remain at Wembley Police Station. The front counter at Kilburn will be closed on 14thDecember 2017, but the rest of the building will be retained.
Financials: As we’re not closing either building, there is not an impact on revenue or capital receipts as anticipated.
Proposed location of any retained Safer Neighbourhood Bases: Strata House, Chalkhill Police Office and Mount Pleasant.
Other key factors to note: retaining three Safer Neighbourhood Bases to become DWO hubs.
Brent
What’s going to happen in Brent?
As set out in the draft public access strategy, the front counter at Kilburn Police Station will close, but the station itself will remain operational. The borough’s 24/7 front counter will be provided at Wembley Police Station.
Why are you closing this front counter?
This is part of our wider strategy to reduce the amount of money we spend on our estate and maximise the amount we can spend on frontline policing. Kilburn receives a small number of visits – around 8 on an average day, compared to 30 a day at Wembley.
When will the counter close?
The front counter at Kilburn Police Station will close by the end of this year.
What about the Safer Neighbourhood Bases in the area?
The Safer Neighbourhood Bases in the borough will be closed, with the exceptions of the Bases at Strata House, Mount Pleasant and Chalkhill Police Base, which will be converted into Dedicated Ward Officer hubs. In addition, we will be identifying new Dedicated Ward Officer hubs across the Borough from which local officers can deploy. We are aiming, over the next three years, to roll out 150 of these DWO hubs across London, working on a general rule that DWOs should begin their shift no more than 20 minutes walking time away from the ward they patrol, with many much closer.
What do you say to Brent residents about this decision?
There’s no question that these have been difficult decisions to make, and we thank Brent residents for the feedback they have given as part of the consultation.
As we reduce the number of buildings we operate from, we will also reduce the number of front counters. We will however be improving the other ways the public can contact us: More dedicated ward officers, contact points in the right places, better telephone reporting, and a better online service. We will retain at least one 24/7 front counter in every borough.
Every borough will continue to have a front counter in a police station, open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They will be modernised, more welcoming and easier to use.
How can local residents get in touch with the police now their station is closing?
You can pick up the phone, you can contact the Met through their website, or at the 24/7 front counter in Wembley.
Most crime is not currently reported at police stations. Just 8 per cent of crimes were reported at police front counters in 2016, down from 22 per cent in 2006, and this number continues to fall.
This compares to around 70 per cent of crimes reported on the phone, while 37 per cent of Londoners say they would rather report crimes online.
Is Brent going to be less safe as a result?
At a time of huge pressure on policing, this decision will help us keep the front line as strong as possible in Brent and across the city.
We’re engaging with you as a key stakeholder
-To inform you when front counters confirmed for closure will shut.
-To reassure you of the many ways in which communities can engage with police.
-To provide an update on the Dedicated Ward Officer (DWO) hubs
-To answer any concerns you may have.
The way the public want to contact the police is changing
- There’s a demand to access our services digitally due to the added convenience and flexibility.
-At 22 of our current front counters staffed by Public Access Officers (PAO’s) one or less crime reports were made a day.
We’re offering more options for contact
-We’re redesigning our services to be focused on what people want and need, so our services are more accessible, enhance engagement, and make the best use of digital technology.
-Our ambition is to ensure the experience of connecting with police through digital channels will be as helpful, personal and reassuring as approaching an officer on the street.
We’re already seeing the reach of our digital channels
-70 percent of crimes are reported on the phone. Three-quarters are to the non-emergency number 101, launched in 2011.
-5,000 Twitter enquiries have been dealt with by MetCC, which includes serious crime, since the unpublicised launch of Digital 101 in July 2016.
-300 online crime reports are dealt with by MetCC daily.
-350 online enquiries are dealt with by MetCC daily.
- The demand for reporting crime and engaging with police digitally is expected to increase.
Visibility of police in the community is also increasing
-By the end of the year there will be two dedicated ward officers (DWOs) and one PCSO for each ward, who know and are known to the communities they serve.
-Equipping our officers with mobile technology will bring reporting services to the playground, at the shopping centre, wherever it’s convenient for the public.
-DWOs will have new ‘hubs’ (or back offices) based in their wards where they can change and pick up items needed before heading out on duty, rather than waste time returning to a police station.
-DWOs will hold a minimum of a one hour community contact session per week per ward, for those members of the community preferring face-to-face contact. For wards identified as having over 60 minutes travel time to the nearest front counter, an enhanced session will be held twice a week at a Safer Neighbourhood base or fixed place.
The future of police stations
-There will be one 24 hour front counter per borough.
-Public Access Officers (PAO) provide a valuable role and will work from where they’re needed most with access to the tools to help them manage demand, such as digital access points in police station foyers to make reporting quicker.
-Up to 25 of the remaining stations will be updated based on current conditions to improve facilities and the environment for staff and the public.
-We’re looking for opportunities to share facilities with emergency services partners.
Dedicated ward officer hubs
-Where there’s not a police building on or within close proximity to a DWO’s ward, we’ll be creating additional ‘hubs’ for them – small back offices where they can pick up their kit - to enable them to spend more time in the communities they police.
-These new hubs will be created at locations that supports community policing.
-All borough commanders will be engaging with their local communities to identify suitable locations.
-The hubs will be accessible 24/7 and located either within existing Met buildings or suitable partnership buildings, such as with: Blue Light partners; local authorities; hospitals; or with commercial services where there’s an appropriate relationship.
-Borough commanders will take into consideration DWOs existing collaborations with partner agencies and their safer neighbourhood colleagues when assessing locations, as well as specific local requirements.
-Over the next three years 150 hubs will be rolled out.
Safer Neighbourhood bases
-Safer Neighbourhood bases will not close until a suitable alternative DWO hub is in place, unless exceptional circumstances arose (such as notice was given by a landlord).
-We are retaining 31 Safer Neighbourhood bases based on affordability and on the suitability of location.
What we’ll be focusing on
-We want our focus to be on the prevention and reduction of violent crime within all of our communities rather than maintaining underused, expensive to run buildings.
- £300 million from the sale of 80 police buildings, including front counter sites, will be reinvested back into policing.
- There will be no effect on our emergency response service as they’ll operate from hubs across London and are deployed where needed.
If you have any questions or queries re the above; feel free to contact me.
Peter Weaver ACI
Safer Neighbourhoods and Partnership
Brent OCU
0777 0642 716